


Hold Me Close, Sway Me More

by ghostingrn



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Original Work, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Heatwaves, Hurt/Comfort, My First Fanfic, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Original Character(s), Unrequited Crush, Unrequited Love, Unresolved Romantic Tension, gets angsty eventually, gets fluffy eventully ???, heatwaves but wlw and different story later on, no beta we die like george in manhunt, not copying heatwaves, orignal character mcyts, sorry everyone reading this, this really sucks, very much inspired by heatwaves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-14 03:54:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28789044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostingrn/pseuds/ghostingrn
Summary: ( a heatwaves style fic except its wlw and original characters )Ray has secretely loved the moments of tension between her and Bee- but after a vivid dream and newly found feelings she can't seem to avoid, these moments might be starting to get out of hand. Confusing emotions, sleepless hours, and unholy thoughts are difficult enough, but when the cause of them is your straight, online friend who lives across the world and has never seen your face, you might finally lose control. Oh, and it doesn't help when you're a widely famous streamer. Mistakes, longing, and unholy messages are sure to follow.
Comments: 16
Kudos: 7





	1. Oblivious

**Author's Note:**

> some notes from ghosting -  
> this is my first time writing oh my god im terrifed. this story revolves around original characters, so i apologize if it gets confusing. i was veryy heavily influenced by heatwaves by tbhyourlame, especially in these first few chapters. the plot does end up being very different though, and obviously, this isn't dnf. (im trying to give ray and bee a dynamic like dream and george though) should i release character profiles ??
> 
> shoot sorry this note got long
> 
> probably no one is going to read this, but if you are, lemme know how i can improve !
> 
> (p.s. the wind and power outage stuff i mention is fire season in california, where i live. every year it gets super windy and wildfires break out, so the power company shuts off the power frequently)

W, A, S, D. W, A, S, D. Ray’s long fingers decisively moved between the worn keys, controlling the motion of her avatar precisely. She never let the steps of the blocky character stray from where she intended them. Even though it was just a silly game, this perfect control Ray could muster when she played filled her with more satisfaction than she would like to admit. Especially when this control got her into another playfully heated dispute with one of her friends. And especially when this also happened on stream.

“I am actually going to kill you. I’m not exaggerating. This is no longer just a game _ , _ I am  _ literally  _ going to murder you in real life.” Bee exclaimed. In total 3 of them had been playing tonight, Ray, Bee, and Andy (well, it was night for Ray in the Pacific time zone). Andy had resigned to his usual snarky comments after dying, filled with laughter, but Bee was quite the opposite. When Bee’s stubborn nature was showing and Ray was feeling especially confident, she couldn’t help but push her anger further.

“Aww- but Beeeee, you don’t even know what I look like, come on, at least buy me dinner first before you plan my murder” The smirk she was sporting was heard clearly in her tone of voice.

“Oh I don’t need to know what your face looks like to be able to kill you. As soon as I heard your stupid voice, I’d know who you are.”

“Ouch- insults- I’m so very hurt, Beatrice.” Ray used her full name, seeing what reaction she could get from this. It paid off well.

Ray flicked her eyes over to her other monitor, displaying Bee’s upper half. She had been running this stream with her webcam on, just like she always did. The chat picked up after hearing Ray use Bee’s full name, this always being a sign of trouble. Bee had looked straight into the camera, keeping her eyes fiery and fixed in place, and said-

“That’s it, I’m rage quitting.”, a small smirk spreading across her face.

Ray leaned back in her chair, letting out a breath. While Ray of course enjoyed winning, Bee didn’t keep up their ‘dispute’ as long as she had hoped. That fire she had recognized in her eyes, directed at her even from thousands of miles away, had been stifled after a moment of thought. She stopped herself from taking their dance further, instead leaving Ray alone in the ballroom. While there was always the little voice in the back of her head, terrified she would one day take her jabs too far, the reaction she could occasionally get from Bee was worth it. That sweet, thick tension that trickled between them when she bit Ray’s hook was so, so worth it. Even if most of the time - like right now - Ray failed to pull Bee far enough out of her shell for the interaction to burn, the failures were worth it. They were worth it for the few times the fire in Bee’s eyes was not stifled. But now the warmth that had filled Ray’s chest was fleeting, as if the sun had been covered by a cloud, beams of light replaced my shadow.

Ray didn’t know why just Bee’s reactions gave her this feeling. She didn’t want to dwell on it.

Promptly after ‘rage quitting’, Bee got onto their group’s SMP world, followed shortly by Ray and Andy. Bee was now in her element, no longer in PVP, but rather able to build detailed structures and intricate redstone machines. Between the three friends, Bee’s chat, and the slow donations and subscriptions popping up, their interactions fell into the comfortable pattern that emerged as the stream’s inevitable end approached. 

Her eyes focused on the fan beneath the glass case of her beloved pc. Lights flashed an unnatural shade of electric blue as she tried to focus on the gentle whir its rapid motion created. Whatever sound this distraction created was quickly masked by the ravenous howl of the october winds outside her comfortable room. A quick glance through the window revealed trees bending past what they could take and leaves desperately clinging to branches as the pale moonlight lit the streets.

“Hellooooo, anyone home?”, a soft voice calls through her discarded headset, followed by a string of short, breathy laughs she immediately recognized as Bee’s.

“Hey loooooser! ..fucking idiot, probably fell asleep in her chair.” the far lower, comfortably crude voice of Andy calls with the confidence only years of friendship can obtain. 

“She really should not stay up this late”

“Okay wait, this is ~literally~ your fault. She only stays up this late so you guys can be awake at the same time.”

“oh my god.. shut up, she does not stay up this late just to talk to me..”. Bee responds with a hand covering her cheeks, Ray only catching a glimpse of on stream as she comes back to reality. 

Ray finally rejoins the conversation with a simple, “Shoot, wait I’m still here, sorry, I got distracted. The winds are getting really bad.”

Bee looks up to the camera quickly with a smile, hearing that Ray was in fact awake. This look was quickly replaced with one of concern as she processed Ray’s statement. The winds were in fact, getting worse. 

“Oh no, is the power going to be shut off? How close are the fires?”

“I’m not sure about the power, PG & E hasn’t released the areas in danger of a blackout yet.”

Bee put on a comically large frown and sneaked towards Ray’s dormant minecraft avatar, head tilted and shaking towards the bright green ground. 

“Aww, Ray-Ray, what are you gonna do if you can’t harass us for a whole 24 hours, wahh wahhh,” Andy started up with his antagonizing tone of voice.

“Rejoice, a whole day without you, shithead,” Ray replied with a wheeze and a punch to his character.

“Ok, enough you two, I’m still streaming,” Bee quickly added, “Say bye-bye to the chat!”

“Byeee!” Andy added

Ray found her gaze blurring once more, and returning to the swish of the fan. A brief silence filled the stream before Bee made piercing eye contact at the camera and said,

“Come on now, Raygen, I’m not ending it until you say bye-bye, too. It's good luck! Take the goddamn luck!”

She grinned hearing a full name finally be returned from their earlier interaction.

“Fine… bye-bye!”

The stream went black and after a few more minutes, the call was empty as well. Ray slid the headset off from her ears and powered her computer off, watching the fan she had been so fascinated with shutter to a stop. She glided open the window closest to her bed just a crack to hear the fierce winds battle against the California landscape. A warm flow snuck in through the stripe of open air in between gusts, forcing Ray to strip down to just her rolled up boxers and short tank. She fell back onto her mattress with a sigh, breathing in the specific smell of late summer, early fall that came into full swing as the heat started to dissipate, replaced by a mild chill.

A short buzz radiates from her fingertips. Snapchat from bumblebee >:0. She quickly taps the red square at the top of the app, opening to see a selfie from Bee, displaying her long, wavy brown hair and dark brown eyes peeking over a huge mug . It was captioned, “Suck it, American, no power-outages here in London”. Ray let out a sharp breath as she thought of how she could respond without showing her face. She had gone her whole online career without a face reveal, and this included a reveal to Bee. Sure, she had seen little bits and pieces over their friendship; part of her hair after she had just dyed white streaks on her naturally golden blonde hair, her light blue eyes when the sun made them look especially unnatural, even glimpses of a jawline or small section of her face in a rushedly taken photo. But never her whole face. 

She deliberately pulled the duvet of her bed over her face, leaving her hand grasping the fabric and some of her hair peeking out in the shot of the snap. She captioned it, “California sucks, I’m shipping myself to your house ;)”, and quickly hit send, ignoring the irregular thump appearing in her chest that always seemed to present after she responded to Bee. She had known Andy since they were 13 and 14, and he had seen her face numerous times, taking away any anxiety when talking to him. But with Bee, it was different. Bee always seemed to fill Ray with a certain electricity that she just couldn’t place.

The phone was returned to her windowsill and she rolled over comfortably, awaiting the gentle grasp of sleep. 

The sound of wind faded from her ears and the feeling of the cool night air across her jaw was suddenly replaced by that of trapped breath and smooth cotton. She fluttered her eyes open, only to find she was no longer in the familiar bedroom, but rather standing on a large marble balcony, bathed in cool moonlight.Looking downward to the smooth flooring, she was met with her reflection, dressed elegantly in dark tones. A black mesh top was layered with an even darker silk button up, plunging low before being cinched by a corset. Black leather straps, dark pants, and fingerless gloves completed the ensemble. Her attention was quickly brought, however, to the mask covering the lower half of her face, hiding her features well. 

She looked again at her surroundings, just now noticing the slight frame about 15 feet in front of her, also on the large balcony. 

“H-hello?”, the small voice called. Ray immediately recognized it.

“Bee?”

“Ray? What oh my god, where the hell are we?”, she said as she approached slowly.

Ray took a bit too long staring at her, entranced by the way the blue moonlight glinted off her ballgown, as if it was woven with the same fabric used by the gods to stitch together the sky. It flowed beautifully, white tinted chiffon complementing her perfectly. Her long brown hair fell with the same perfection as her dress, but even this was unremarkable in comparison to her eyes. The dark brown seemed almost black in this light, reflecting the cosmos and taking Ray’s breath away. Bee blunk in confusion at Ray’s prolonged stare, her mono lidded eyes shifting from confusion to a bit of concern.

She snapped out of it and replied, “I have no idea, I’m dreaming, I guess..”

Bee continued her approach, stopping a few feet away from her.

“It’s so beautiful here..” Bee said, eyes flickering down the cliff below their balcony and towards the sea.

Ray responded calmly, “Not as beautiful as you.”

A soft punch grazed her arm as Bee told her to shut up, looking away once more to cover what almost looked like a blush. Out of nowhere, music began to play from the inside of the castle, muffled slightly due to their position on the balcony.

Bee looked up at her - jesus, she was short in comparison to Ray. At 5’10, she towered over Bee’s 5’0- 

Ray let out a wheeze and bowed lightly, “May I have this dance, my lady Beatrice?”

“...ugh you idiot.. I can’t dance.” she replied with a roll of her eyes.

Ray took her hand and placed it on her shoulder, now moving her hand to rest on Bee’s waist. “Just follow my lead.”

Ray silently thanked her mother for forcing her to take ballroom-dancing as a kid, and quite gracefully led Bee around the balcony, keeping pace with the music. She kept a tight grasp around her waist, the other hand intertwined with her thin fingers and slightly reached out. The stars seemed to glimmer even brighter as she continued her footwork.

_ When marimba rhythms start to play… _

She released her hand from Bee’s waist and twirled her, guiding her with the other still keeping contact. The flowing fabric of her dress moved like the breeze, delicately following the motion Ray had instructed. 

_ Dance with me, make me sway… _

Ray pulled her closer once more, hand returning just above her skirt. 

_ Like a lazy ocean hugs the shore… _

The touch felt electric, shocks travelling up her fingertips, Bee’s bare skin only a thin layer away.

_ Hold me close, sway me more… _

She ignored the warmth in her chest and returned to the task of keeping Bee upright, proving to be quite a challenge as she struggled to match Ray’s pace.

_ Like a flower bending in the breeze… _

Bee stumbled, looking downward at her feet.

_ Bend with me, sway with ease… _

Ray wheezed and moved her hand from her grasp, placing it on her other side, the warm feeling of her bare skin quickly lost to the cool fabric of her bodice.

_ When we dance, you have a way with me.. _

_ Stay with me, sway with me… _

Ray lifted her off the ground slightly, using both her height and her strength as an advantage. Bee looked up at her with wide eyes, finally making eye contact. She was definitely blushing.

_ Other dancers may be on the floor… _

Ray kept the same smooth motion atop the marble floors, now with much more ease as Bee’s inexperienced footing no longer slowed her, gliding inches above the ground in her steady grasp.

_ Dear, but my eyes will see only you… _

Ray leaned forward and set the tips of Bee’s feet back on the floor momentarily before swiftly dipping her backwards.

_ Only you have that magic technique… _

She now kept her still in this position, one hand still on her waist, the other drifting to support her back. Bee suddenly moved her own up towards Ray’s face and pulled the mask hiding her features off, discarding it carelessly across the floor.

_ When we sway, I go weak... _

Overcome with the flutter in her chest as inten se eye contact resumed, Ray pulled her in close, their foreheads now flush. A tender hand cupped her jaw, and suddenly their lips met. Slow, sweet, just like the air that had previously separated them. They pulled away and Ray returned her to her feet. Immediately Bee threw her arms around Ray’s neck, under her shoulder length hair.

“..do that again..”she said softly, a look she had never seen before now illuminating her chocolatey eyes.

“Do what again?” Ray replied with a smirk.

“Kiss me...please”

She lifted Bee up again, sitting her down atop the stone railing of the balcony, bringing them face to face. Now with more passion and heat, they kissed, no longer unsure of the gesture. The taste of sweet cinnamon and honey returned to Ray’s taste buds and her skin felt on fire. The low feeling of electricity she had as they had danced was now amplified tenfold, bolts of lightning tearing at her heart. Bee’s hands gripped her face and then her hair as she clung desperately to this moment.

Ray pulled away, a feeling of satisfaction and pride hitting her like a train as she saw Bee’s flushed face and lips.

All because of her.

_ Her. _

“Beatrice..” was all she could say before she jolted awake. 

_ Fuck. _


	2. Just a Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ahaa read it to find out ;) sorry im just bad at writing summaries :((( - ghosting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey hey hey, if you are reading this, youre awesome ;))) sorry its been a while since the first update, just life stuff 0_o anyways, i hope you like this chapter !! (and the next 2, im dropping a bunch at the same time) <3 ghosting

The blinding light flooded Ray’s eyes as she shot up from bed and was pulled from her dream.

Wait no, she reminded herself.

_ A  _ dream, not  _ her _ dream.

Bee wasn’t her dream.

Ray stumbled up and out from the covers, rushing to the bathroom. She pulled the temperature control of the sink as cold as it could go, splashing the freezing liquid on her face. Her eyes darted up to the mirror on the wall in front of her, making contact with her own icy gaze. Despite the aggressive bright light that she had awakened to, her eyes were extremely dilated, black iris decreasing the ocean of blue to a sliver.

_ Disgusting. _

_ She felt disgusting. _

She returned to rubbing her face with the frigid water, skin flooded with burning tingles as it went numb. She focused on her closed eyes, rubbing circles until she felt pressure on her skull and bright dots began to contrast the dark of her shut eyelids, as if she was trying to wash away her shame. Wash away the memories of that night in the stars. Memories of music fading from her ears and time slowing to a stop as she swung Bee across the marble balcony, cosmos reflecting onto her soul as she gazed into her eyes. The memory of how her lips felt against-

_ No. _

_ Stop. _

If only Bee knew what she was thinking about now. She would be disgusted. Ray wondered how fast she would block her if she knew the low, fluttering feeling she had as she reminisced about the night they shared in her dreams.

No. Nononono. She did not have feelings for her best friend. Her best friend who lived 6,000 miles away and didn’t even know what she looked like. 

Her brain had just painted some crazy scene in her mind, tricking her to think there was something more for only a moment.

They were friends. She was her friend. Nothing more. 

Having sufficiently pushed away the aching feeling in her chest after last night’s events, Ray walked back into her room, noticing the clock’s hand on the 11. It would be 7 pm for Bee in London. 

A string of buzzes drew her attention to her phone, which had remained perched quite perilously on her window sill. Incoming phone call from bumblebee. Ray pressed her hand against her temple as she mulled over her options. Pick up. Decline. Pick up. Decline. The choice was made for her as the buzzing ceased, and she looked back down at her screen. New message.

_ b : hey join the vc _

_ b : andy and i think a few others are gonna join _

_ b : join or ill hurt you >:000 _

Whatever was still occupying Ray from the dream came flooding back and she realized there was no way she could join that call.

Guilt maybe?

Guilt that she had enjoyed such a tender moment with her best friend, without her knowledge. She decided on guilt, pushing the idea that she could actually have feelings even farther away. 

_ r : hmmm sorey i think im gonna sit out today :/ _

_ r : and by the way, you could not hurt me. youd literally have to go on your tippy toes just to touch me _

(ehehe Ray knows this from personal experience ;) )

Ray swallowed the knot in her throat and waited for a response. It came immediately. 

_ b : NOOO :’(((((( _

_ b : fine but at least join the stream tomorrow _

_ b : and yes i could hurt you, you arent even that tall _

_ b : wait youve never mentioned how tall you are _

_ b : I TOLD YOU MY HEIGHT AND ALL YOU SAID IN RESPONSE WAS ‘ur short lol’ _

Oh God, she thought, how am I going to join that stream. Wait, no, she can. She’ll be fine, she’s just a little under the weather. And why Bee, did you have to bring up the height thing, Ray was still recovering from how she felt standing comfortably over her shorter frame, protecting her from everything and nothing. 

_ r : OKAY OKAY ill join the stream tmrw _

_ r: and yes you are short, im 5’10 _

Read, 4 minutes. 

“Why the hell did she just leave me on read” Ray muttered to herself aloud. 

_ b : i take back what i said, you are tall _

Ray fell back onto her bed. Why did that take 5 minutes for Bee to write, and why did she now have the same warm feeling rise into her chest. If she hugged her, would she be able to set her chin on top of her head? How would it feel if Bee pressed her face against her chest, Ray’s arms bringing her body close. So close. 

Stop.

No.

Too far.

Wait, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to hug your friend. Right?

She never responded to Bee’s message.

\--------

Ray woke up the next morning to more frantic buzzing. This time it was a call from Andy.

_ “Get on the call, dumbass” _

“Aaaughh I just woke up piss baby”

_ “Stop whining, Bee’s waiting for you to start her stream.” _

“Fine, stop calling idiot so I can get up”

Andy hung up, and Ray was allowed to fully adjust to being awake. The rest of the day before had passed uneventfully, and now she was sure she had gotten rid of whatever had plagued her after that dream.

She stood up and stretched, regretting her repeated late nights as she felt drowsiness linger on her limbs. Her PC whirred to life and she pulled on her headset over her messily fluffy hair. She glanced briefly towards her mirror as she contemplated joining the call yet. She looked pretty rough, never having taken off her eyeliner lead to it now being smudged. Dark circles were obvious and whatever makeup had previously covered her freckles and smattering of beauty marks was long gone.

Voices greeted her pleasantly as she joined the call, one sticking out in particular. 

“Ray-ray! Yay, you joined! I missed you yesterday!” Bee called out excitedly.

_ ‘She missed me’ _

_ (ps im using ‘ ‘ and italics to indicate Ray thinking right here 0_o -ghosting) _

_ ‘she  _ **_missed_ ** _ me.’ _

“Hey guys, how’s it going.” Ray responded to everyone generally, biting back words of revere in response to Bee. Her voice was flat, much lower and more gravelly than normal as she had just woken up. 

The stream continued without a hitch, and after almost falling back asleep in her chair for the 100th time, Ray dragged herself up to go make coffee, taking her headset with her. She pulled out the chilly jug of coffee she always kept in her fridge and a carton of almond milk. In a tall glass filled with ice she combined the dark liquid with just a touch of the milk, turning it into a color reminiscent of dark chocolate.

“Heyyy Kitty whatcha doin?” Ray cooed as her cream colored cat leaped up onto her counters, examining her coffee with inquisitive yellow eyes.

“Wait no, stop, no, Kitty you can’t have that, no-” She said towards her feline friend as she advanced too close to the icy glass.

Bee blurted out, “What can’t she have?”

“My coffee.”

“You have coffee? Send me a photo, I wanna see.”

Funny, Ray thought to herself, how such a mundane interaction brought her such happiness. Nevertheless, she pulled out her phone and shot a snap of her coffee, sending it to Bee. 

“Ew, oh my god, how do you drink that, it looks so bitter, Ray”

“It’s good, come on! If mine sucks so bad, how do you make your coffee?”

“Hmm, coffee, cream, caramel sauce, and OOH, that vanilla creamer stuff you find at the market? It's literally perfect.”

“Oh my god, you’re such a bottom” Ray said with a wheeze, and then- Then it hit her. She covered her mouth with her face, in shock that she would say such a thing after whatever happened in her dreams that night. She usually prided herself on the fact that her brain moved far faster than her mouth, ensuring she always knew what to say. 

“shut up… When are you coming back, join the server.”

Ray let out a sigh of relief as Bee passed over the comment easily, not paying any extra attention to it. She jokingly ‘flirted’ with her all the time, but for some reason now it felt different. 

She made her way back to her desk, coffee in hand, and joined their group’s server. They decided to do a manhunt, with Ray running as she had finally shaken away the grog of her ‘early rise’. The chase went on as normal, Ray barely escaping each time someone made it close to her. She was now in the nether, hunting for blaze rods as the rest tried to follow her in, desperately trying to make their own portal. Bee was one of the hunters, but since manhunts were never totally her thing and she wasn’t riled up yet, she was quite calmly gathering supplies.

Then, she began to hum. Quite the simple tune, it wouldn’t have stuck out to anyone, except Ray now felt her heart beat faster and faster, heat escaping into her chest as she tried to focus on her fight with the blaze. 

And now, even worse, Bee’s hum turned into a soft singing. Hell, it would barely even be considered singing. 

“When marimba rhythms start to play, dance with me, make me sway.”

Ray couldn’t keep her swell of emotions pushed down as she heard Bee’s honeyed voice pronounce each word. Her accent presented slightly even as she sang, passing over vowels as if it were silk. Ordinarily, Ray would mock her british accent, but now as her syrupy, effortlessly smooth voice passed over the song that had serenaded their dream, she couldn’t keep a flush off her face.

Bee continued to hum, occasionally singing the lyrics as she mined.

Ray couldn’t focus on the game. All her attention was on  _ her. _

A message displayed in the chat:  **rays_alterego was burnt to a crisp while fighting Blaze.**

She hadn’t even noticed the game over screen pop up, too entranced by the small window of Bee’s cam that was visible on the other monitor in front of her, but now swarms of laughs and yells came through her headset as everyone saw the death message.

“Come ON! What the hell, how did you get killed by a blaze! What happened there? I am so much better at minecraft than you HAH” Andy yelled out between laughs.

Honestly, Ray didn’t even know what had just happened. With years of practice, she never died to basic mobs in speedruns, especially not some random blaze 20 minutes into the game. 

The chat was going crazy, asking why she had so suddenly stopped trying. Her avatar had just suddenly stopped using fight tactics, as if it was her first time playing the game. But Ray could care less about the chat at this moment. All she was thinking about was their dance.

“Seriously Ray-Ray, you good? We barely even started” Bee said while laughing slightly, loosely covering notes of real concern.

Ray snapped out of her trance slightly, realizing she had gone totally silent since Bee began her song. 

“Oh,  _ Oh,  _ yeah I’m good, just got distracted for a second there.”

The rest of the stream went on relatively normally from anyone else’s perspective, but in reality Ray was internally freaking out. She remained as withdrawn as she could without raising concern and took the earliest opportunity possible to leave the stream. 

She ran back to the sink that had washed away her panicked guilt the day prior, leaning on the counter by both her arms. She looked up into her own eyes, swallowed the lump in her throat and dangerously admitted,

“I want Bee to be more than a friend.”

She couldn’t tell whether this self-confession helped her in the slightest as her stomach was still in knots. 

\----

Ray slipped out of her pajamas and into a simple outfit. Black shorts, her favorite merch hoodie, and her shoulder-length hair messily dutch braided twice. Music already blasting into one ear, she turned to open her front door and depart. Ray was a surprisingly active person, considering her profession, and was quite the athlete. While she had quit sports after she graduated, she still trained and ran frequently, leaving her with a toned, strong body. You couldn’t quite tell just from the looks of her when still, but with intentional movement her defined muscles were apparent. 

Oh.

She had forgotten what time of year it was. 

She opened her door only to be welcomed with the thick smell of smoke, the simultaneously sharp and hazy feeling penetrating her lungs. She took a step back and examined the world outside her house. White, cold ash clung to her car and basically everything in sight, the dusting almost giving the illusion of snow. She dragged her fingertip slowly across a chair on her patio, powder gathering on the grooves of her fingerprints. As she wiped the filth from her hand, she looked to the eerie red sun as it desperately tried to shine through the dense, smoke filled sky. 

She would definitely not be going on a run. 

California fire season was always a threat, but over the last few years it had been getting worse. The aggressive winds mixing with heat waves and loose power lines lead to a large wildfire seemingly every year, filling Ray’s town with fresh smoke blowing in or even worse, an evacuation order. In moments when the wind calmed, the blanket of smoke descended further as it was no longer at the mercy of the moving air, thickly settling until the ungodly gusts returned. 

Ray closed the front door with a slam, frustrated as the plans to clear her head fell out from under her. She wandered aimlessly away from the doorway, cursing California’s weather patterns. She already knew she wanted to move away, and made a mental note to start seriously looking into moving states, or hell,  _ countries _ . Her current home was a rental, quite small in size, but comfortable. She had decorated it with an impressive quantity of plants,but other than that, it was quite simple. 

Unintentionally, she found herself in her bedroom. She wondered if Bee would like it. Her PC and streaming setup sat atop a desk pushed flat to her walls, which were decorated randomly with records or bits of fanart, and a few stray posters. Plants adorned this room as well, although more sparingly,and some even hanging from the ceiling. She sat down on her bedspread and imagined what it would be like for Bee to be there too. The queen mattress could definitely fit them both comfortably side by side, but knowing herself, Ray would keep Bee close to her chest. Her smaller frame tucked neatly within her arms, close enough that she could feel her heartbeat slow as she fell asleep. If Ray ever got the chance, she’d never let go. She’d relish every moment she had with her body so close.

Ray dropped her forehead into her palms. 

She needed to stop thinking about Bee. She needed to accept that she’d never feel the same way, she’d never curl her warm body against hers as they slept, and she’d probably never even want to see her. 

With a disappointed sigh, Ray got up and sank into her chair, settling on doing work instead of pointlessly daydreaming about a love that would never exist. 

\----

Hours passed, and the clock now struck 5 pm. An annoying buzzing radiated from her phone and Ray withdrew herself from lines of code.

Bee was  _ calling. _

Not asking her to join a vc, but was calling her actual cell. She didn’t do this unless she really needed something, and Ray fumbled quickly to pick up the call.

_ “Oh, hey Ray-Ray, I didn’t think you’d actually pick up. I hope I’m not interrupting anything..” _

“No, no, you’re not interrupting anything, what’s up, why’d you call?”

_ “I can’t sleep so I figured annoying you would be better than just laying here.” _

“God Bee, what is it like 1 in London?” Ray replied with a laugh, subconsciously moving to her own bed, even though the sun had yet to dip below the horizon.

_ “Yeah, yeah, it’s late, don’t judge me.” _

“I am definitely judging you, you need your beauty sleep, princess.”, wheezing slightly.

_ “Ok, you know what, if you are going to make fun of me, I’m gonna make fun of you. Why did you suck so bad in that hunt today? You died, like, out of nowhere.” _

Why did she have to ask that, Ray thought as she racked her brain for a believable response.

“Oh it was nothing, just zoned out for a second.”

_ “Uh huh, suuurree, I bet you were just so entranced by my performance of Sway you couldn’t concentrate.” _

_ Bullseye.  _ Nice one Bee.

Ray gritted her teeth and decided a watered down version of the truth was better than nothing.

“Honestly, yeah, you have a really nice voice, it made me distracted.”

_ “Oh my god, shut up idiot, I’m being serious.”  _ She said with a laugh, a smile evident in her voice.

“You shut up, I’m being serious.” Ray returned the laugh lightly, leaving the earlier comment up to Bee to interpret. “Why did, uh, why did you even hum that song, anyways? It was kinda out of nowhere.”

Ray clenched her jaw, wanting any answer other than the song choice just being random. Bee took a long pause before answering,

_ “Hmm, not quite sure, I just woke up this morning and it was stuck in my head. Funny, I swear I'd never heard it before. I had to look up the lyrics that were somehow in my brain just to find the song. Been listening to it since then, I guess.” _

That's… something. Ray stayed silent, quietly racking her brain.

_ “I really like your voice, too. In the morning after you just wake up. I don’t get to hear that tone of voice from you very often, I honestly like it when I get to harrass you awake early to go on a call.”  _ Bee continued on after receiving nothing from Ray’s end.

Ray was not expecting that as a response. She placed her hand to her temple for the 100th time that day and weighed her options.

“Crueelll, Beatrice. Waking me up early just because you have the hots for my voice. I feel taken advantage of.”

_ “Oh hush now, you love it.” _

“I do love it” She muttered with her palm shifted, now loosely over her mouth as an attempt to slow the sincerity of her words.

_ “If anything, you’re the one taking advantage of me and my half-assed singing” _

Ray’s breath hitched. Guilt washed over her once more. Bee was right, she was taking advantage. Bee was just joking around, and Ray was not. Her flirts were real, and she was riding the high that Bee’s reciprocation gave her, even though she was sure she was just kidding. If Bee knew half of what was going on in her head, Ray knew she’d be appalled. 

Bee filled the silence,

_ “You could be some creepy 50 year old man, trying to get my address so he can send me old pairs of socks” _

“I am not a 50 year old man, and if I had your address I would send you something much better than old pairs of socks.” Ray let out with a wheeze, some guilt falling away as their conversation continued.

_ “Okay, prove it. Prove you are not a creepy old man and I’ll let you do whatever you want with my address.” _

“Okay.” she retorted with a smirk. 

She opened up her snapchat and posed nervously. She would never do an actual face reveal to Bee over the internet, but partial would do the trick. Angling the camera from above, she pulled her forearm to cover her face, fist loosely clenched. Orange light flooded her room, reflecting on her golden hair, white streaks standing out starkly. Parts of her jaw and forehead glinted in the unnatural light, not quite covered by her hoodie sleeve. Sent.

  
  


_ “What did you just send”  _ she said with an airy laugh,  _ “Seriously” _

Opened. Replayed. Screenshotted. 

It was such a simple photo, barely revealing any of her face, but this was the most Bee would get, a hint of a jaw, clothed arms and chest, and hair. 

_ “Oh my god, okay fair enough, you are not a 50 year old man. I’ll send you my address.” _

“Haha! Yes!”

_ “Wait, what are you even going to do with it?”  _

“You’ll see.”

_ “I hate you.” _

“You love me, I know it.”

_ “shut it..”  _ Bee replied sleepily.

“You didn’t deny it,” Ray said teasingly, grin obvious.

Ray heard Bee’s breath slow through the phone, face obviously close. She closed her eyes and imagined Bee was laying on her chest now, arms wrapped under her back, warm hands clinging to her shoulders. She imagined running her fingers gently through Bee’s long hair, careful not to wake her. Did she really smell vaguely of honey and cinnamon just like she had in her dream? Would Ray ever be able to breathe out the intoxicating, syrupy scent? Bee suddenly brought her back to reality,

_ “Shit, I’m falling asleep. I- I think it's time to go. Seriously thanks for picking up, this cured my sleeplessness.” _

A warm feeling grew thick in Ray’s chest, somehow both happy Bee was going to be rested and sad that their call had to end so early.

“Alright, have a good sleep.”

_ “I should do this more often. Harass you so I can get to sleep.” _

_ Please do _ , she thought to herself.

“Anytime, loser. I promise I’ll pick up.”

The call disconnected and Ray felt the smile she hadn’t even realized was on her face fall slowly. She sighed as she saw it was only 5:30 pm. If only she could fall asleep at the same time as Bee.

The sun slowly sank below the hills. Ray let out a sorrowful laugh at the metaphor. As night gripped the Californian land and the sun gave way to the moon, Bee had fallen to sleep’s grasp across the globe. The deep warmth left Ray as her sun ended the call, putting their conversation to rest. 

Her sun had dipped below the horizon, and now the winds were rising once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooooooh thankyou anyone who read this far ! please give me comments and suggestions !! (only if u want to <3) sorry if these are really bad, its ok, its just fun to write :))) 
> 
> follow me on tiktok @_ghosting_rn or @ghostingrn on insta and tumblr !! might start posting stuff, if yall wanna see like character profiles
> 
> anyways, i hope you all have an amazing day, and just know i love u all !!
> 
> <3 ghosting


	3. Emergency Alerts Are Not Pog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> yeah yeah still no summary, sorry sorry - ghosting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay yeah this chapter might not make a ton of sense if you don't know what happens in california wildfire season. in the case of this story, ray's area is not in real real danger of fire, just evacuated as a procaution. this is not meant to make light of anyone who has been evacuated or lost homes or loved ones to fire, just in the particular area i have experience in and for the sake of the storyline, theres no severe fire danger ! sorry for the little disclaimer, i hope you enjoy this chapter !! not very proud of this one :///
> 
> <3 ghosting

The rest of her evening drew on in a blur, working, planning, cleaning, trying not to think about Bee sleeping soundly across the Atlantic Ocean. 

_ But then she remembered. _

She had been so busy trying not to think about Bee that she had forgotten the vital piece of information she had just secured.  _ Bee’s address. _

The chair forward rolled slightly, stopped by Ray’s feet against the wall as her eyes lit up with an idea.

_ She had Bee’s address. _

_ And she knew exactly what she was going to do with it.  _

\-----

Morning came, and despite the smoke still polluting the air and very real threats of a power outage, Ray was driving to the post office. The night before she had prepared a parcel for sendoff, package perfectly secured with clear tape. What are the contents, you may be wondering?  _ Her favorite merch hoodie.  _ Not just any random new sweatshirt, but the one Ray had practically lived in for months. It was  _ hers,  _ not just her logo. She had folded the well-worn grey sweatshirt neatly, merch print easily seen atop the soft fabric. Now as she entered the building, a nervous fluttering came about her as she handed off the package to be delivered to London. Even though the fastest shipping was still 2 weeks and ridiculously expensive, it was worth it. 

She coasted on back roads, taking the long way home as she fiddled with her aux cord. Once she settled on a playlist, she let her mind wander, just for a minute. Bee in  _ her _ sweatshirt. Ray imagined how the fabric would cascade over her short build, what was just slightly loose on herself being ridiculously oversized on the slightly older girl. She wondered if she would breath in her own specific smell, if she even had one. 

2 weeks and maybe she wouldn’t have to just imagine. 

But that didn’t matter now.

Now all that mattered was the roll of pavement under tires and the skid of gravel turns as she drove comfortably over the speed limit, safe on the country roads as the engine purred.

\---

Car parked in the driveway of her home, Ray jingled her keys as she approached the familiar doorframe, unable to resist exaggerating the metallic chimes. It was early on in the afternoon, but she still reached to flip the switch of the kitchen overhead lights.  _ Flip.  _ No lights. She gave the lever a peculiar look and flicked it back and forth repeatedly. She focused her hearing.  _ Nothing. _ No gentle buzz of the fridge, no whirring of AC.

_ Fuck. _

_ Her power was shut off.  _

Ray let out an audible groan and squeaked open the freezer compartment under her refrigerator, eyeing the already defrosting goods inside. The cardboard boxes were slick with condensation, signalling they had lost much of their cold already. She shut the door once more, hoping the power would be back on before the food went bad. 

A buzz emitted from the back pocket of her loose jeans.

New Message from bumblebee

_ b: VC ???? _

r: damn i cant, my power got shut off :’((

_ b: aaawwwwe >:( _

_ b: when’s it going to be back on ? _

r: ive got no clue, could be a day, could be a week 

_ b: ew gross america _

_ b: this is why england is superior _

r: oh you shut it, you lost the war, get over it >:D

_ b: you died 20 minutes in on a speedrun, if anyone should be making fun of someone for losing its me ;)) _

Ray was about to send another message when a sharp sound was emitted from her phone and a notification covered the middle of her screen. 

**Emergency Alert**

2:23 PM Wildfire Warning Active now in this area 

Evacuation Order Active until further notice

She clicked out of the alert and moved quickly towards her room to pack the essential items. She knew her house wasn’t in actual danger of burning down, but the evacuation was real and serious. Pants, shirts, sweatshirts, pajamas, toiletries, important documents, her laptop, chargers, an endless list of necessities thrown into her black suitcase. She scooped up her cat and placed her in the carry-case, planning to drive the hour to her parent’s place.

_ b: why u leave me on read ??? did i do something wrong _

r: nonono, sorry i just got an evacuation notice

r: busy packing some stuff

As she placed her bag and Kitty’s carrier into her car, her phone lit up, buzzing repeatedly.

Incoming Call from beanie baby 

_ “Are you okay? Where are you going? Are you safe? Ray-ray?”  _ Bee proclaimed immediately after Ray had picked up, tone heavy with worry.

“Woah, woah, yeah I’m good. Just about to get out of here. My place isn’t in real danger yet, this is more of a precaution” She replied back, keeping her voice calm and low to try and settle Bee’s obvious anxiety. Even though their friendship was quite carefree and full of playful bickering, Bee really did care a lot, even if it wasn’t always obvious.

_ “Thank god, I was worried you asshole! Where are you headed?” _

“Hmm, for now the plan is to drive north to my parents place to drop off Kitty, but I don’t exactly wanna stick around,” Ray’s relationship with her parents was a bit uncomfortable to say the least, she definitely was not going to linger, “I don’t know where I’m gonna go after that.”

_ “At least you're safe,”  _ She said with a light laugh,  _ “You have to promise you’ll stay safe.” _

“Pinky promise”

_ “Can we stay on call for a little? I’m still having trouble sleeping. Or I guess you probably have to go, right..” _

“No, no, stay. It's cool, I’ll just keep you on speaker while I drive.”

Ray popped open the front driver’s side of her car, drop top raised to compensate for falling ash. As she settled in her seat, double checking on Kitty, she placed her phone in the cupholder, still able to hear clearly as Bee mindlessly talked about her day.

_ “...anyways, how was your day, Ray-ray?” _

She pulled out of her driveway, hitting the pavement at 3:47 pm. 

“Other than all this shit? Pretty good,” Ray thought back to the package she sent off earlier, “At least I get to talk to you, princess.”, she let out with a wheeze.

_ “Oh, you hush up, why do you even call me that?” _

“Because,”

Memories of Bee in her mesmerizing ball-gown flooded her mind.

That night Bee was her princess.

_ “Because?..” _

“Yeah, because.”

_ “I hate you.” _

“You love me.”

_ “Shut up, how much time do you even have left on your drive?” _

“Hmmm, maybe an hour and a half. Ooooh, I should stop for fries.” Ray said, eyeing the golden arches of a passing McDonalds on the freeway.

_ “You should fly here.” _

Wait.

**_What._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyyy everyone who made it this far !! sorry if this chapter wasn't great / it was short, its definetely not my best work :// love u guys !!
> 
> follow my socials if u want :))) @_ghosting_rn on tiktok, @ghostingrn on insta and tumblr, might start posting there if anyone wants like full character profiles
> 
> have an amazing day or night, and just know i love you bb
> 
> <3 ghosting


	4. How Did We Get Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> um yup no summary :D
> 
> -ghosting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayooo this is the last chapter im posting tonight, i hope you guys enjoy !! minor tw for kindof some derealization at the end of the chapter, it should be marked if you feel the need to skip over :))) also i promise the chapters after these ones will get better / more interesting and with actual plot
> 
> <3ghosting

“What...What?”

_ “Fly to me and stay until your evacuation notice is revoked” _

The way she said it so casually, so matter of fact, made Ray’s stomach do a flip. 

“Seriously? You’ve never even seen a picture of me and you want me to fly out on a day’s notice. You are literally insane, Beatrice.”

_ “What? We’ve known each other for a long time and if you come you won’t have to stay with your parents. If you don’t wanna come, that’s fine, I’m just saying..” _

Ray felt her heartbeat quicken and her attention divert from the standstill traffic in front of her to the phone still laying propped up in her cup holder. 

“No, no no, I’ll come, if you're for real.”

_ “Okay, buy your ticket and I’ll be ready for you.” _

“Okay?”

_ “Yeah, okay.” _

What the hell just happened. She went from a casual, normal, if not slightly boring conversation, to now purchasing a ticket to London on the side of the highway. She doesn’t even remember weaving out of the lane she had previously been coasting on, all she knows is that now she’s pulled over, about to click confirm on a roundtrip ticket to London. Redeye. 

“I just bought it.” Ray stated, trying to sound as calm as possible, when in fact, she was freaking the hell out. 

_ “Awesome, I’ll, uh, I can pick you up when you get in.” _

“Ok-Okay cool, I bought it round trip for like 3 days ahead, the order won’t last long and I don’t want to leave Kitty with my family for too long.”

_ “Cool” _

“Cool.”

They were both acting like this was no big deal, but for Ray at least, this was  _ absolutely _ a big deal.

Both of them fell back into a comfortable conversation, just like ones they’d had a thousand times before, Ray returning to driving. But she still couldn’t swallow the lump in her throat or calm the butterflies trying to escape her stomach.

Bee slowly began to get quieter, her voice softening even more and her british accent thickening, sleep heavy in her words. She yawned and remained silent for long periods of time, her mic picking up her breath slowing.

“Bee? You still awake?” Ray said softly, register lowering unintentionally as she tried to sound as calming as possible.

No response.

“Beaatriccee?”

No response.

Her slow breathing was still heard over the phone, and soon enough, Ray heard soft snores.

_ She had fallen asleep on the phone. _

A warm smile filled her face and she adjusted her mirror. Warm light, less orange than at home, filtered in her car and reflected off the glass. 

She unintentionally found herself avoiding potholes, as if Bee was really asleep in the car with her. The phone line stayed open, and Ray promised herself she’d stay on the line until she arrived at her parent’s. 

An hour and a half passed in a flash, and soon Ray found herself pulling into the driveway of her childhood home. She begrudgingly ended the call, sending a quick message telling Bee she fell asleep on the call and had to hang up since she arrived, in addition to forwarding her flight details for once she woke up.

[CW// minor mention of homophobia]

Her familial relationship was civil. Ish. They had rather begrudgingly ‘accepted’ her when she came out, basically pretending she wasn’t gay. Because of this and the amount of religion pushing and shaming that occurred, Ray kept her distance. 

She stayed pleasant, exchanging quick hellos and shallow catch ups with her parents before leaving her cat with them and returning to the road. 

Tires moved quickly against the gravel driveway and she peeled out more aggressively than she intended. Rage that she didn’t even know she had been carrying welled up and she clenched her fist, fingernails digging into raw flesh. Seeing her parents brought up alot, even though nothing had happened, no altercation, no argument. That somehow made it worse, they acted like there was nothing wrong with their relationship, and Ray was playing into it. Maybe once she was a stronger person, she’d fight back.

[end CW]

She felt the red-hot anger start to dissipate from her eyes and her grip on the wheel loosen. It would all be okay one day.

Now she refocused on the task at hand; driving to the airport. It would be another hour drive until she reached her destination, still early to her 9 pm flight time. 

Streetlights blurred on the side of the freeway as she drove ahead, sun setting low behind her. The mixture of smog and far smoke from the fires gave the sky a familiar gradient. The muted pastels of a semi-metropolitan California sunset were a very specific sight, somehow so wistful. No cliched bright-blue oceans or magnificent celebrities, just the open freeway and rolling, golden hills.

She finally made it to the airport, parking her car close to the entrance. Her heart suddenly began beating in her ears, what was about to happen finally hitting her. She was about to board a flight to see Bee. Bee who she had been crushing on. Bee who had never seen her before. What the fuck. How did this all happen so fast. Her grip tightened once more, trying to calm down.

Once sufficiently pulled out of her panic, she entered the airport, checked her bag, went through security, and sat in front of her gate, calmly listening to music as she watched bright signs flicker information about the flights in front of her. Allowing herself to breath, she looked into the glass wall in front of her, focusing on her reflection. Since she would be seeing Bee for the first time, she hoped she was dressed in an outfit that looked at least semi-presentable. Baggy jeans, a hoodie, and a t- shirt layered over it, complete with her well-worn white sneakers. Not a very good outfit to impress your crush, but at least it was comfortable and besides, she’d make up for it later in the trip. Looking upwards, she saw her sharp facial features. She was quite confident and knew she was attractive, but she was still nervous.

_ What would Bee think of her? _

_ What was she expecting? _

It didn’t matter, they were just friends. 

\----

Fog clouded the small oval windows of the jet Ray was now sat in, nails digging into the lightly worn armrests of her chair. Ray always loved flying. Even as a kid, she would be so excited when she got the chance to fly, these long trips being few and far between. She thought back to bounding into the cabin as a child, an absolute bundle of energy calling back at her parents to hurry. Her little nose pressed up against the window, not a thought in her head other than takeoff. She had  _ loved  _ takeoff. The rise you felt as gravity decreased, as if you were floating when the wheels finally lifted off and the hunk of metal reached it’s angle for ascension. The world felt so small from up there, and she had felt so large. It was just her, her and everyone else. But now Ray sat looking down at her feet. 

She  _ had  _ loved takeoff.

Now, on this one flight, she knew she could never go back to exactly how it had been before. She couldn’t unsend, erase, delete, redact the memories she was about to make. Even worse,

She knew it was  _ just her  _ and everyone else. 

And she didn’t want it to be  _ just her _ and everyone else. 

_ She wanted it to be them and everyone else. _

Vibrations filled the air, and now she was in flight.

\-------

[CW derealization?? kindof?? at the very end]

Suddenly the thought-crushingly loud whir of the plane was gone and Ray felt a cool breeze brush against her fingertips. Her eyelids shot open and she carefully surveyed her surroundings. A familiar smooth marble met her palms as she grounded herself, suddenly realizing she was on the same balcony as she was in her prior dream. She was crouched, knees to her chest and back pushed directly onto a beam of the stone railing. It was nighttime, just as it had been before, the moon casting her surroundings in a heavenly blue-purple glow. Looking up, the stars still danced across the sky, twinkling bright against its dark canvas. 

She slowly got to her feet, boot heels making a distinct but muffled clack against the marble. The sound of footsteps, running, suddenly filled her ears and her eyes shot forward to their source. She caught sight of flowing light fabric turning into a hall inside the gut of the castle. Immediately recognizing the chiffon as that which had made up Bee’s dress during their night dancing in the moonlight, Ray walked forward.

“Bee? Where are you going?” She called out, voice soft but loud enough for her to hear.

She was met with no response, just the fading sound of frantic footsteps. Ray picked up her pace, now running towards the passage she watched Bee slip into. 

“Bee!”

“Bee?”

“Seriously, are you okay?”

Ray turned the corner of the snaking corridor and immediately stopped in her tracks. She was a few paces before a small balcony, much smaller than the one she had danced across during her last visit to this dream. Bee was standing facing away from Ray, the moon just above the crest of her head on the horizon. Bright streams of the blue tinted light illuminated stray hairs floating around her head, appearing as if she were glowing from within.

“Bee…”

Suddenly the sound of soft sobbing reached her ears and she watched as Bee’s shoulders began to quiver.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” Ray said quietly, as if she were afraid to spook the shaking frame in front of her. She reached a hand towards her forearm, still unable to see her front as she faced the moon. Suddenly she snapped her head back at Ray, a dizzily sharp motion that caused her to drop her hand from its position on Bee’s arm. Cold. Her arm felt cold. Instead of being met with the sorrow she had anticipated as she watched sobs shake her body, eye’s full of rage and disdain blazed back at her. 

“Don’t touch me. Don’t say a word. Get the hell away from me. Raygen, this was all just a joke. Never speak to me again.”

“Bee..? What..?” Ray said, almost to no one as she stumbled backwards. Her heartbeat took on an irregular pattern, and she looked down to her hands, trying to tether herself back to reality. She pulled at her fingertips, “What do you mean..? What happened…?”

“Oh come on,  _ what happened _ , you know exactly what happened. How could you truly believe I wanted to kiss you? We were just playing around, stop fooling yourself. Get out of my sight, you make me sick.” Bee replied sharply, her words sounding alien, so different from the honey sweet tone she had heard in her dreams before.

Ray sank to the ground and slipped off her fingerless gloves. Her head felt full of water, oceans, waves drowning her thoughts, echoing the words hanging around her eardrums. She clenched and unclenched her hands repeatedly, digging into flesh as she balled her fists tightly.  _ How had you thought this was real? _ The tide swirled in her mind, a storm battering her as she just focused on her palms. It felt as if she was wading through the darkest depths of the ocean, pressure slowing her like quicksand. She opened once more, hands shaking and blood beginning to pool in the rough indentations. _ Were those her hands? _ Her vision multiplied and multiplied, blurring the fabric of reality. Panic swelled in her chest as she was met with no pain from her skin. Finally, she looked up.

_ Bee was gone. _

....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahh thank you anyone who has read this far, i hope you liked it !! please comment anything you want, gimme critisism please if you have any, or just say hi :))) after this and these last few chapters, the plot is gonna start picking up / getting better and not like the plot of heatwaves as much. hopefully it will have the heatwaves vibess though
> 
> anyways, follow the socials if u want to, i put them in the past notes if u feel like it ;)) let me know if i should post character profiles there , sorry i know this must be confusing as they are techinically original characters
> 
> i love you guys, i know you are all trying your best in life, and no matter what, i am proud of you <3
> 
> <3 ghosting

**Author's Note:**

> homoerotic ballroom dancing… yes. thank you to anyone who read this, im gonna release chapter 2 next week around the same day, or earlier <3 <3 <3
> 
> also ps this will not be the last time there is ball-room dancing, and when there is more, it's gonna be angsty ;)))
> 
> this is my first time actually releasing anything, so please give me criticism / tell me what to fix !!
> 
> and i'm sorry if this is kinda confusing, since the characters are made up, should I release like character profiles ? 
> 
> follow me on tumblr @ghostingrn , i’m probably gonna post stuff related to this fic there :)))
> 
> love,  
> Ghosting  
> <3


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